BLUEMOMENT

In an idle moment of ennui I found myself reading a thread on PBO dealing with "which gloves?". From some of the responses it would appear that there are many sailors out there who wrap a rope round their hand before pulling on it - a habit that my long departed daddy beat out of me when I was a callow sprog but I have noted is prevalent in those who boast of a "competent crew" qualification (as is an inability to OXO or OXXO on a cleat).
So my tip this week is - never wrap a rope round your hand to hold or pull on it and take a rope's end to any crew who do.

... as to gloves - Lidl's £4.99 ski gloves seem to be warmer and drier than Gill Helmsman jobbies at about 7x the price, and easier to shake off before pulling on strings.

Couldn't agree more, on both counts.
Met a guy a few years ago who had sailed from Sweden to the med unaccompanied. He had started a career in the Navy but an accident involving a rope cost him all fingers of one hand, and ended his dream.
He did very well with the remaining thumb, last heard of in eastern Med.
His name is Hans, (which is a bit of a misnomer).
A friend of mine asked him about his single-handed sailing and then wished the earth would open up and swallow him...
Luckily, he has a massive sense of humour, as he is a also a massive guy.
As for OXXO, cleatwork is my rant-hobbyhorse.
Who are these people that do XXXXX-lock-lock?- they must have memories of their Mummies tieing washing lines.
I HATE it when cleats end up like gordian armadillos. You can't beat a spliced loop for the job - horses for courses.